Well, actually it was polite if not a bit direct.

You careened off an interesting point when you mentioned engineering. What good is ANY engineering if it’s not reliable? This is a typical answer by affecianados when their brand is being skewered. If Mercedes engineered the wing on the airplane you’re flying would you be concerned? Sure, it can produce .0000003% more lift at any given speed and reduces drag by .00000001%. That’s all great but would you let your family fly on the plane when you know all the engineering is put together with factory crews who only care about their upcoming vacations and assembled with wing root bolts prone to RUST FAILURE because some bean counter could save 50 cents by not treating the bolt correctly. That’s a much better analogy.

I remember playing with some air cooled VW’s from the 60’s. My flasher failed. The one at the parts store for an American sedan was $1.50 and the one for the Ghia or Beetle was $19.95. And it had little to do with supply and demand. The German flasher weighed three times as much and looked like a relay but all it did was flash the turn signal. Both made the light blink on and off. Which was better engineered? The windows go up and down on my American sedan or truck. Thousands of times. On my German sedan I remain concerned if it will be a one way trip. If my American sedan ceases production of cooled and dried air, it’ll cost me a couple of hundred dollars to repair. My german sedan will run into the thousands. Which is better engineered? I haven’t been concerned with rust since my Dad’s 1965 Galaxy 500 rusted in all the wheel wells. Just like all the others on the road I would see. Today, it’s an item an owner must inspect for diligently so the body doesn’t rust and the front suspension components don’t fall out at highway speed. Do any of your friends driving American or Japanese cars do the same? Who’s got better engineering?

Sorry, but the word is not offensive to me. Your car is a relic. It may not be an antique but it’s almost 18 years old. I’m glad it still runs well. I’m sure that will continue. I have an American sedan that’s almost twice that old and it’s never left me stranded although it’s now driven infrequently. It is an antique but it is sincerely more reliable then my MB. Sorry if that hurts anyone’s feelings. It’s also true that complaints are heard more on the net then praise. It stands to reason that few will sing the praises of a machine that is merely doing what it’s supposed to. I assume anyone studying a marque specific site for purchase information will already filter that when doing his research.